Fabric-finishing machine.



W. WIDDOWSON.

FABRIC FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI9. 1917.

1,280,607. Patented Oct 1, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. WIDDOWSON.

FABRIC FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIB, 1917.

1,280,607. Patented Oct. 1, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ALMA;

purpose pass through one or more opera-' WALTER WIDDOWSON, OFNOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND.

FABRIC-FINISHING MACHINE.

Application filed May 19, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VALTER 'Winoowsox, a subject of the King of GreatBritain. and a resident of the city of Nottingham, England, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Fabric-Fashioning Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines used for stretchingand ironing tubular knitted fabrics as part of the finishing process.These fabrics, after being knitted, have to be finished and for thistions which may include washing, bleaching, dyeing and brushing, and inall cases the fabrics so treated are twisted and distorted and areunsuitable for making up into garments because the knitted wales are notparallel tothe edges of the fabric and the transverse courses are not atright angles to the wales.

The present invention has for its object the production of a machinecapable of restoring the position of the knitted wales and courses totheir correct positions and of pressing or ironing the fabric, also theprovision of means whereby the positions of thewales and courses and thewidth of the finished fabric can be varied as the fabric is passingthrough the machine, and improvements in the general construction andarrangement of the machine.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine.

Fig, 2 is a plan of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the vertical stretchers fitted withexpanding mechanism.

Fi 4 is a plan of the horizontal stretchers tted with expandingmechanism, and

Fig. 5 is a combined section on the lines a,.a, Figs. 3 and 4:.

In the machine shown in the drawings there is ahollow curved support orwork holder 1 which is circular in section to facilitate the movement ofthe work upon it.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1918.

Serial No. 169,722.

the vertical part of the support and enables this part of the fabric tobe more readily turned upon the support.

Attached to the end 4 of the horizontal part of the support there is anarm or bracket 6, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, to which all the stretchers arepivotally connected. There are two side stretcher arms 7 and two framesor arms 8 for the vertical stretchers, and the arms 7 and 8 arepivotally connected to the bracket 6 in substantially the manner shownin Figs. 3 and 4:. At the front end of each arm 7 there are groovedpulleys 9 and 10 for an endless belt or band 11 which is supportedbetween the pulleys 9 and 10 by grooved intermediate pulleys 12. Theband 11 may be of leather or other similarly flexible material, butpreferably this band is made from a coiled spring the ends of which arejoined together. The stretcher arms 7 are also, or may also be, providedwith top and bottom disk wheels 13 which are mount ed upon inclinedaxles. These disk wheels may be of any convenient size and their axlesmay be mounted at any desired an 1e and they may be arranged in anysuita le position relatively-to the pulleys 10, The stretcher arms 7, asshown in Fig. 4:, are connected by links 14 to a slide 15 which isfitted to more in or upon guides on the bracket 6. The rear end of theslideis attached to a flexible connection 16 which passes through theinside of the hollow support. 1 and is connected to a drum 17, Fig. 1,

outside the support. This drum is fitted to rotate upon a fixed axle andis connected to a hand wheel 18 for rotation of the drum and there is aratchet wheel and pawl 19 by 'which accidental unwinding of theflexiblethere may be one or more springs 30 connected to the 'stretchersand so arranged that they tend to close the stretchers upon the bracket6.

The vertical stretch'ers 8 comprise'smooth metal plates 31 of aluminiumor other'metal not affected by the moisture in the fabric and aresubstantially the shape shown in Fig. 2 and of a curved transversesection as a also screws 40 by which the pressure of the shown in Fig.5. These metal plates are carried by light frames 20 which may be ofWood or other suitable material and they are mounted upon horizontalaxles carried by the bracket 6, also there is a spring 32 which tends tohold the stretchers in their closed positions. The stretchers 8 areconnected by links 22.to a slide 23 Fig.' 3, which is fitted to slide inor upon guides on the side of the bracket 6 and the slide is connectedby a flexible connection 24 to a drum 25 33, Figs. 1 and 2, which arecarried by the standards 34 and driven from the shaft 35 by the toothedgear wheels 36. The rollersare geared together by long toothed gearwheels 37 and are heated by internal gas jets,

.the gas being supplied by the pipe 38 and the air from a fan by thepipe 39. There are rollers upon the fabric can be regulated and varied.

After the fabric has been washed and, or, otherwise treated it isbrought to the improved machine for having the position of the wales andcourses corrected and for the pressing or ironing of the fabric. Therollers 33 are separated by placing a piece of wood between. themand'one end of the piece is passed between them. This end of the pieceis opened and placed upon the stretchers and the whole length of thepiece is then drawn over the stretchers on to the support 1 and isturned upon the support until the wales are approximately parallel tothe center line of the machine. The side stretchers are adjustedaccording to the desired width of the finished fabric, and the verticalstretchers according to the curve of the courses, and these adjustmentshave to be varied according to the character and con- 1 edges of thefabric, is varied by the stretchvdition of the fabric to be treated. Theend of the piece last drawn onto the support is then placed between therollers the rollers closed upon it and the machine started. The

fabric is then pulled off the holder and over the stretchers by therotation of the rollers and the delivered work examined. If the width ofthe piece and the position of the courses are not correct the positionsof the stretchers are adjusted from the hand wheels 18 and 26 and thefabric as it passes forward is turned upon the support as may benecessary. The width of the fabric is regulated from the side stretchersand different parts of the same piece may be finished to differentwidths. The position of the transverse courses in the finished fabric,relatively to the ers 8 and if the courses in the finished fabric areconcave relatively to the rollers 33 the stretchers 8 are opened agreater distance to hold the center part of the moving fabric at agreater distance from the rollers. The disk rollers 13 are'used forsupporting the fabric between the center and side stretchers and areparticularly useful when wide fabrics are being treated.

.1 claim 1. The combination of a pair of heated rollers, a fabricholder, a pair of side stretchers, a pair of vertical stretchers, andmeans by which either or both pairs of stretchers can be adjusted whenthe stretchers are inclosed within the fabric being treatedsubstantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of a pair of heated rollers, a curved fabric holder,a bracket attached to the front end of the holder, side arms pivotallymounted upon the said bracket, grooved pulleys at the front ends of thesaid side arms and a coiled spring arranged as an endless band upon thepulleys substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination of a pair of heated rollers, a fabric holder, abracket attached to the front end of the fabric holder, side armspivoted to the sides of the bracket, pulleys and a band carried by thearms, a slide on the top of the bracket pivoted links between the slideand the side arms, winding up mechanism at the base and a flexibleconnection between the slide and the winding up mechanism substantiallyas herein'set forth.

4. The combination of a pair of heated rollers, a curved fabric holder,a bracket attached to the front end of the fabric holder, top and bottomstretchers pivotally'mounted upon the bracket, a spring between the saidstretchers, a slide at the side of the bracket, pivoted links betweenthe slide and the stretchers, winding up mechanism at the base and aflexible connection between the slide and the winding up mechanismsubstantiallyas herein set forth.

- 5. In a machine for stretching and ironing tubular knitted fabrics thecombination of a curved fabric holder, a bracket at the front 1 end ofsuch fabric holder, vertical stretchers pivotally mounted upon thebracket attached to the front end of the holder, a slide and links forvarying the position of the stretchers, a pair of side stretchers alsomounted upon the bracket, grooved rollers carried by the stretchers, anendless band upon the grooved pulleys, a slide and links'for vary-.

ing the position of the side stretchers and disk wheelscarried byinclined axles on the stretched comprising a pair of stretchersindependently of each other arranged to the elements of which areadapted to be operate When the holder is inclosed within separated,another pair of stretchers, the the fabric being operated upon.

elements of Which are also adapted to be WALTER VVIDDOWSON. 5 separated,and are movable in planes at right lVitnesses:

angles to the movable elements of the first WVILLIAM H. POTTER,

pair, and means for adjusting the stretchers ERIC POTTER.

